


Dancing in Blood and Fire

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Dancing on the Edge of Death [4]
Category: Freelancer, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Chaos, Crossover, Eldar, Gen, Gods, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-07
Updated: 2006-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:20:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The forces of the Karzan Galaxy prepare to launch a decisive strike against the Black Crusade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blood for Blood

Meanwhile, over on Epsilon Station...

Dolen had retired to the confines of his El'dari ship for a time after meeting the bizarre and unpredictable Shazmar. Events were still very fresh and weighing heavily on him as hours spent in meditation passed, then were interrupted by a more directed thoughtfulness. All which had gone before was sealed away from him, now, which left the question of what yet remained to provide the anchor of sanity and focus of will in this universe.

Studying the colors of his armor and shipsuit, he started with those and continued to ponder the situation with a decidedly distant and analytical chill, deliberation without allowance for emotion.

Kalli thought that encounter was really weird and didn't know at all what to think of it, nor really the implications thereof. After gathering some updated information on current events and getting other things done reluctantly, she went to track down Dolen again.

Color was such a simple thing, Dolen mused, examining his handiwork thoughtfully as he began the ritualized formality of re-donning his armor; warriors often used it to denote their loyalties and affiliation, that the world might never question where their honor might reside. What then when that honor bled? He emerged from his ship, armed and armored once more, and hopped lightly to the landing bay's deck.

The once bright blue and yellow of it was gone, no more contrasting with the scarlet stain of Khaine's mark, replaced instead with a reflectionless slate gray that seemed more appropriate to him now. He looked around the bay thoughtfully, considering what path may next be in order, then silently nodded his head to fate as Kalli appeared.

"Greetings, Kalli May," he offered simply and approached quietly.

Kalli glanced him over for a moment and doesn't comment, and nodded to him in greeting. "You about ready to go? Asura's done with the upgrades and repairs now."

"More than ready," Dolen acknowledged with a nod. "Has a destination presented itself to further our crusade?" Returning to the fight against Chaos would be a welcome return to normalcy for him.

"Nope," Kalli said. "Have no idea."

"Are there any further facilities whose status are unknown among those which you are aware?" Dolen asked. "Continuing the survey would serve well in longer terms, if not perhaps as direct an action as I might prefer. Failing that, it may be of worth to return to New Scotland and scour the area in search of any other avenues by which Chaos may have infiltrated, or that may be used to strike against them."

"We've cleared out the north part of the galaxy for the moment," Kalli said. "There's a good deal more inhabited plants and stations in the south, that we'll need to go through next."

"Then the south it shall be," Dolen replied readily and nodded. "I will follow your path, as before." He inclined his head in a faint, formal bow, then turned and headed to his ship, climbing within to bring the power systems fully online and prepare for departure.

Kalli headed for her Darknova likewise and powered it up, heading out of the station and heading for a nearby jump hole rather than opening one with the ship's jump drive. "Our first stop, then, will be the Balzac system... the place I was born..."

"Very well," Dolen replied over the comm, nudging his craft out of dock and sweeping it into an arc to follow the Darknova.

"Was wondering when we'd see that place..." Alpha said. "Didn't you say you were from a farming colony or something like that?"

"Yeeesss..." Kalli said in a strained voice. "Let's go." She didn't seem inclined to elaborate.

Alpha smirked, but didn't press.

She flew the Darknova through the jump hole, navigating its twists and turns before coming out minutes later into the Balzac system. There were some asteroids, one habitable planet, and a few uninhabitable planets.

Dolen followed in precise curves behind, the comm silent throughout the brief journey and the following study of the planetary system. 

There didn't appear to be anything immediately out of the ordinary in this system. The only habitable planet wasn't quite as agriculturally oriented as it used to be in older years, a number of facilities dedicated to constructing ships and weapons for the rebellion having been set up in ensuing years.

"It appears quite tranquil," Dolen commed briefly, continuing to scan as they approached the planetary body. "Is there a central facility which may be contacted?"

"Yeah, I'm ringing them up now." She hailed them and after a brief conversation, they claimed that everything was fine and nothing was out of the ordinary here.

"Of course, there wouldn't..." Alpha murmured.

"If they are already within contact," Dolen replied evenly, "Then no need remains to pursue here, save any which you might wish upon personal grounds."

Kalli gave a soft snort. "No, there's nothing for me here anymore, and hasn't been for quite some time."

Alpha shrugged. "Might as well move on, then."

"As there is no immediate sign of anything amiss, and they are within close proximity to other stations for aid," Dolen commed, "There would appear to be little to pursue here then. What next then?"

"Moosehead." She headed over for the jump gate to the Moosehead system.

"Acknowledged," Dolen replied simply and moved neatly into position at the Darknova's wing along the course to the gate, ducking behind only as they near it in preparation for transit.

The arrived in the Moosehead system shortly afterward. The system was named for the Moosehead Nebula, a large blue nebula that vaguely resembled the head of a moose. There wasn't much else of interest in the system.

"A waypoint?" Dolen commed in question. "Or does something of the rebellion's structure remain concealed within the nebula as they have done elsewhere?"

"Yeah, there's a small mining station on the edge of the nebula," Kalli said.

"Fun..." Alpha commented.

"As well to pass that way and see if aught may be needful," Dolen commed in reply, turning sensors to scan that area specifically as his ship arced in the direction.

Kalli headed over to stop there. Much of the base appeared to be devoted to gas storage and shipping, really.

"Nothing once again appears amiss, Kalli May," Dolen commed, "A reassuring sign with facilities located within such short travel range of one another."

Alpha chuckled dryly. "Either that, or they're smarter than we think...."

"It's not like it's an important system anyway. Well, onto Kyber." She headed over for the next gate.

"Lead on, Kalli May," Dolen replied simply, not particularly concerned by the apparent lack of Chaos intrusion as yet. The Empire was in another direction entirely and there would be other systems further along more apt to fall prey to that influence.

It was not long before they reached the Kyber system. This one actually had three habitable planets, but there didn't appear to be much sign of habitation on them. There did, however, appear to be a base on the third planet, a lush temperate world.

"Odd to see such an abundance of vibrant life-giving worlds left unattended," Dolen remarked thoughtfully over the comm. "The third may be of interest. Being further along the rim there may have come some hint of disorder intruding." He shifted his course in that direction.

"I doubt they're all _that_ unattended," Alpha said. "Their defenses may just be hidden from us."

"Well, there's a reason for it," Kalli explained. "They may look lush and peaceful, but they're not friendly to you or me. The planets on this system are saturated with the mineral rezanite, which when ingested in sufficient quantities causes hallucinations and madness. That place there is likely occupied by drug smugglers."

"Truly now," Dolen replied thinly. "Then we should likely pay them a visit and persuade them of the folly in such pursuits." Hallucinogens and similar chemicals were one of the mainstays of Slaanesh. Not particularly high on his list of things to overlook.

Kalli agreed, saying, "Not exactly my favorite people in the universe." She steered the Darknova down toward the third planet.

"Simplest would be to raze the installation with precision strikes," Dolen commed. "It would be highly unlikely that an established smuggling operation would contain innocents of any persuasion."

The place didn't seem to have a ton of defensive systems, either. They apparently relied on their position deep within rebel territory and the close proximity of major rebel bases to protect them. That and the fact that nobody sane spent any real time in this system.

"Blood for Khaine," Dolen commed with quiet ferocity, leaving the link open as he sent the small craft streaking toward the planetary base, with no appearance of the light melody formerly common at his lips.

Kalli echoed his sentiment and flew in to attack herself, charging up the particle cannon and preparing to make sure there was nothing left of this base.

Weapon and defensive systems flickered to full combat power at Dolen's command, the energy shielding shimmering as the ship bit into the atmosphere and screamed down toward their target. Brilliant light flashed without warning to tear through vegetation and manmade construct with burning fury, a secondary explosion rocking the air with a plume of fire as a fuel storage was compromised.

Kalli's particle cannon and mounted lasers met the destruction, cutting through the minimal defenses easily and ensuring there was nothing but smouldering rubble left in minutes.

Sweeping over the smouldering ruin, Dolen flickered sensors out through the gestalt to search for any signs of life remaining. There appeared to be no energy signatures that would indicate small craft, but he slowed the pass to scan more thoroughly nonetheless. "All would appear clear, Kalli May," he commed lightly.

"Alright... Moving on." She flew up away from the planet again and set a course for another jump hole. "Next up is the Tau system. There are not actually any Tau in the Tau system."

Dolen turned the fleet ship up and out of the atmosphere, returning the weapon systems to standby readiness. "Most likely to our advantage," he replied evenly. "Though I will readily admit that my experiences with them were relatively few, as they had risen to attention not so long ago." He arced his course to overfly the Darknova, then curved back inward to return to its wing.

The Darknova flew off into the jump hole and wound its way into the Tau system. It's a fairly unremarkable system with one barely habitable desert planet called Planet Harris. There were some signs of old bases on Planet Harris, however they appeared to have been long abandoned. There was a rebel station and patrols around the jump gate to the Rath system.

"Shall we seek audience at this facility, Kalli May?" Dolen asked, "There would appear to be a livelier presence here, suggesting either a more efficient and energetic command structure or a real and present threat from one front or another."

"They're the ones who defend the Rath system from unwanted intruders," Kalli replied. "Rath is the rebels' primary source of luminite, which is one of their biggest advantages over the Empire... On the far edge of the Empire, I'd hope that this system isn't compromised."

"Such a target would provide a tempting tactical advantage," Dolen mused. "The active nature of the defenders would serve well as sign of alertness, however, and we may as well then continue further onward in search of our prey."

Kalli headed for that gate. As they approached, the comm crackled to life. "Approaching vessels, this is Tau Gate Station. Please identify yourselves."

Kalli replied, "This is Kalli May of the Dancers on the Edge of Death."

"Dolen Ista," Dolen replied blandly, adding nothing further to it and awaiting further development. He could commend the rapid response and challenge, watchful and wary of the dangers which roamed in the darkest corners of this universe.

The station replied, "You are cleared for approach. Proceed at will." Kalli acknowledged and headed on through the gate to the Rath system.

Following behind, Dolen navigated the warp gate with familiar ease and entered the system behind the Darknova, of habit scanning for interesting or potentially dangerous phenomena.

They entered into the Rath system, a large asteroid field glittering golden in the light of the sun, and vast mining and processing facilities and bases making up much of the system. There were two other gates in this system, one of which was sealed off.

"Interesting," Dolen murmured over the comm, studying the system with an appraising eye toward defense. It would appear that they were as prepared as could be hoped for to deal with an intrusion of Chaos from without, though the truest dangers most often came from within. "Where then the sealed gate?" he asked idly.

"That gate heads to the Secundus system, into Imperial territory," Kalli replied. "It's been sealed off for centuries now. This system looks well under control, though." She directed the ship over toward the other gate. "Transylvania system."

"What difficulty to break such a seal?" Dolen asked, even as he turned his ship to follow the course toward the open Gate. He trusted her judgment sufficiently that he would not allow worry upon that which she did not deem needful, only curiosity.

"They couldn't do it without destroying the gate in the process," Kalli replied.

Dolen accepted her explanation without complaint, having no other point of reference than of the Eldar Warp Gates which none other in that universe were even capable of replicating or forcing open.

As they approach the next gate, a voice came over the comm and said, "Be careful if you're going to Transylvania, Kalli May. The pirates in the Dracula Nebula have become fairly erratic lately."

"Erratic how, one might wonder," Dolen offered in offhanded reply over the link to the Darknova alone, such simple signs often the first hints of Chaos influence. It would certainly be within their interests to assault this place.

"Considering the pirates are fairly erratic under normal circumstances, I would presume that they mean more erratic than usual, which is probably pretty bad. Let's take a look now, shall we?" She headed for the gate.

"Assuredly wise," Dolen agreed readily, placing weapon and defensive systems at a higher state of readiness in preparation for crossing through the Gate. It had always proved better to be over prepared than under, in his long experience.

They passed through the Transylvania gate and arrived in a system with a red giant star and an ominous black and blood red cloud streaked with occasional flashes of electricity.

Power was shunted reflexively to bring systems to full readiness at the sight, sensors reaching out to scan what may be found nearby. Dolen was still of Eldar blood, and anything which hinted at the faintest influence of their most hated foes was to be treated with utmost caution.

"Scanning for any traces," he commed quietly, "Nothing yet sighted."

The nebula interfered with sensors a bit, which had made it an ideal location for a hidden base in past times, but the Dracula Station had long been destroyed and the place was only home to pirates and other galactic scum now.

They weren't there for long before movement was spotted at the edge of the cloud. Fighters coming in toward them in attack formation. There was a wing of five of them.

"On your wing," Dolen commed, calm and emotionless as he continued, "With their greater numbers they will likely divide and attempt to force us to do the same. Not all are so foolish," he finished with a cold chuckle, tuning the sensors to seek signs of the comparative capabilities of the craft approaching them.

These particular pirates were not especially secretive or subtle about their new allegiance. The words "Blood for the Blood God!" were heard over the comm. There were no other craft on the scanners, but it was hard to say what else might be lurking in that nebula. Kalli calmly engaged the attacking ships.

Dolen smiled with chilling cold as he broadcast in the open, "Blood for Khaine!" and then snapped the link, returning it to more secure frequencies. "It would seem the nature of their behavior is explained, Kalli May." He left the shields and weapons at standard combat levels, not pushing more power into either just yet as he swept in at the Darknova's wing and opened fire.

They engaged in combat with the pirates. Four of them didn't appear to be pilots of any particular skill, but the leader... his ship appeared to be heavily modified and he flew it like an expert, easily evading their attacks and landing a few shots of his own.

"Focus on the distractions first," Dolen commed quietly, shunting additional power to shields and setting the gestalt to keep particular track of the one, his intent to provide a direct physical and energy shield for the other ship as needed. "That one will require something more," he added thinly, the power of his shields flickering as another shot struck.

"Roger," Kalli said, bringing down the ships one by one with precision while avoiding the leader's attacks.

Kalli May, he knew, was well-trained and able to deal with the flies, evidence amply provided as the craft began to vanish. That in mind, he drained power further from wherever it may be spared and strengthened the flow to his ship's shields, his attention focused wholly on the whirling path of the wasp among the flies. A dangerous foe, the Blood God, but there were ways... and he moved to intercept incoming fire.

Once the pirate captain's wingmen were taken care of, Kalli went to engage the now-outnumbered fighter, then looked to Dolen wondering what he was doing.

There were inevitable reports of damage throughout his craft, but far less than might have been the case without the additional power to shielding. He reversed that trend now, returning system levels to a more even mix, and commed, "And now we return that which he sought to bring us. Diverge and annihilate." He suited action to words, peeling away and arcing directly toward the remaining ship.

Kalli flew off to circle around the pirate captain and winged him a few times with her lasers. The pirate managed to land a couple more hits on Dolen in the meantime.

Damage control systems come online in the ship as Dolen streaks past the pirate leader, but he needfully leaves them to their task unminded as he sweeps back in a shallow arc opposite that which Kalli had chosen to engage once more. The servitor of the Blood God would need choose which to avoid and which to pass before, providing an excellent opportunity for either.

The pirate flew well, but Kalli and Dolen flew better. He managed to wing Kalli, but left himself vulnerable to Dolen for just a split second, long enough to score a crippling strike against the ship.

"Goodbye, Chaos spawn," Dolen broadcast in the clear, circling back on the crippled fighter with chill deliberation to open fire and mercilessly eradicate the taint.

Pretty explosions. Kalli said, "Good shot," and resisted the urge to add "Red Two" onto it.

"What damage have you sustained, Kalli May?" Dolen responded simply. His own was not severe enough to require immediate repair and repair systems were performing admirably in that regard. "I would very much wish to seek out the origins of those fighters," he added. "Such craft are short ranged and require regular re-supply, a facility needs must be available nearby for that purpose."

"Just some dents and scratches. I'm good to go." Kalli replied.

"Excellent," Dolen commed. "Then may I suggest we approach the nebula and begin to scan? If preliminary scans are insufficient, then we will need separate and one proceed further in for deeper scanning while the other waits in the event of overwhelming force that they may return to the defenders of Rath with warning."

Kalli said, "Roger." She headed in toward the edge of the cloud, scanning for any further signs of life. Sure enough, as they came close enough, a station buried deep in the cloud came up on the readouts. Oh, and seven more ships came to attack them as well.

"Remain near, as before," Dolen commed quietly as the fighters appeared, leaving the power matrix as it was for now and until estimations of their opponents' skill might be made. If required, he would return to the same defensive strategy as before, allowing Kalli to be the sword while he provided the shield.

These pirates seemed only of middling skill level, although they fought fiercely they made plenty of blind and bold mistakes.

Dolen remained at the Darknova's wing, adding his heavy weight of his fire to Kalli's own as the knife-range fight swirls around them. To stand beside another was one of the few joys left to him, and he reveled in it as Chaos fell. One by one their attackers fell with minimal damage to themselves, although they did score a few lucky hits for sheer boldness if nothing else.

So long as Chaos fell, the damage warnings were of minimal concern to Dolen beyond an occasional check on the status of his wingmate for any sign that his role needed to change. For now, he continued as before, silently striding among their foes and laying waste in obedience of the Mark. No more ships came out to engage them after the last squadron of fighters was dispatched.

"Either they await us with reserves," Dolen observed on the comm as silence descended, "Or all that may remain are support staff and perhaps those captured upon raids. Your analysis, Kalli May?"

"I'm inclined to think the latter myself, but I'll prefer to err on the side of caution in case the former is true."

"Then remain in readiness here and I shall approach with caution," Dolen replied, easing the nimble craft forward to do so, sensors seeking out any hint of power that might suggest the less savory possibility.

As it turned out, the small base's only two remaining ships were ones too damaged to fly. Nobody else on the station seemed inclined to try to fight them right now. That would change soon enough, Dolen knew, the followers of the Blood God ever ready for battle regardless.

"No further ships await, Kalli May," he commed. "I shall proceed to land and await you that we may seek within and find the remnants of Chaos here."

Kalli said, "Roger," and came on to dock at the base as well.

Aboard the station, Dolen encountered two guys who proceeded to attack him with, of all things, bat'leths. At least one couldn't say that these pirates didn't have really random weapon selection.

Dolen waited for Kalli for a moment, but the appearance of the disciples of the Blood God and their charge drew his attention readily. Though he carried weapons sufficient to hand to hand combat, he brought his rifle to bear on them as they approached and opens fire. Thanks to the limited space, however, he only managed to score a minor injury to one of them before they close in on him.

Backing away with fleet, light step, Dolen sought to gain enough room to drop the rifle and draw power sword and pistol, knowing the disadvantage of firearms at close quarters. He didn't react with anything beyond calm precision to the error in judgment, attempting to remedy it and return to the attack with more appropriate weaponry. He dispatched one of them quickly, however the other took advantage of that and scored a nasty hit himself.

Dolen staggered from the blow of the other, the heavier weapon biting deep into a should and his sword falling from pain-stunned fingers. He deliberately fell backward, providing space that he might sweep the pistol between them and fire point-blank at his remaining enemy and trusting to his own reflexes to continue the motion to a roll backwards after. His shot landed, the Klingon-wannabe stumbling and collapsing under the attack and joining his companion on the floor.

Continuing with the momentum, Dolen returned to his feet, although with considerably less grace than might otherwise be seen. He briefly examined his wound and shook his head, unable to do more for it at the moment than hope that they had not coated their blades with some foul toxin. Clenching the fingers of his sword-hand stiffly, he retrieved the powersword from the ground and returns to waiting, watchful for intruders.

Kalli docked momentarily, climbing out of the hatch with blaster and saber in hand. She looked over to him and noticed that he was wounded and said, "Are you alright?"

"I will live. My armor provided some protection, though I shall need tend the wound later." Dolen replied, indicating the two fallen with a tilt of his helm. "They shall not be so fortunate. Are you prepared to continue?"

Kalli nodded, pulling out her lightsaber and igniting it, its red glow adding a faint bit more illumination to the station. Dolen nodded silently in response and took the point, proceeding with quiet caution into the station. Kalli watched his back, keeping an eye out for anything that might spring out at them and try to attack them.

At the station's control room, they encountered two more guys with bat'leths who attacked them on sight. That there would be guards proved no surprise, and Dolen sprung readily to the attack with pistol and sword. His reflexes might be slowed by his previous wound, but that was still nothing to be sneered at after long years of training and battle.

His wound did indeed end up slowing him down, and he failed to land more than a glancing blow against his attackers, although he did manage to avoid further injury. Kalli had better luck, and quickly showed one of them that it was difficult to wield a bat'leth with only one hand. Dolen smiled unseen in grim approval of his partner's work, a soothing balm to the seeping drain of his energy. There was no hesitation or delay in his continuing the fight, regardless.

The one's attempt at continuing to fight with one hand proved ineffectual, and he was still flailing about without really hitting anything with the bat'leth as Kalli relieved his partner of his head.

"Well done, Kalli May," Dolen complimented with quiet sincerity, then stepped over the fallen bodies to search for the base sensory and recording instruments. Locating and eliminating their remaining opposition would likely be simplest and most direct from here.

According to internal scanners, there were four other people aboard the station. One of them appeared to be in a holding cell, another guarding that cell, and two more are presently in the base's main storage room.

Perhaps not so isolated or spacebound as the last he'd performed such actions at, but it was common practice to allow any section to be sealed off from another in the event of disaster. The two in the storage room would be readily enough sealed away, and he glanced aside to Kalli. "The prisoner shall need be attended to."

Kalli gave a nod. However, it appeared that the guys in the storage room were locating the heavy explosives, as the sudden lurch the station took would indicate.

"Haste would appear to be in order," Dolen said, though he took a moment more to seal additional blast barriers all along the passages that the two might follow, leaving only a path toward the brig and a slender thread leading out. "Time and gone to depart," he added quietly and dashed quickly down the path leading toward the brig with weapons to hand.

The initial explosion appeared to have completely obliterated half the station, and destabilized most of the rest. The lights flickered and crackled. Kalli didn't need to be told twice to get moving, heading that way posthaste.

Dolen skipped to a halt ahead of her, at least momentarily as heavy cables barred the passage sparking with power. He severed them with his sword, then returned to the quick passage of halls, navigating solely by memory of the brief layout examination of the station.

When they reached the brig, they found that they wouldn't have to fight the guard, at least. He got squished by a bulkhead falling onto him. The sole prisoner, a young woman, was trying to climb through the wreckage toward the corridor.

"Aid me, Kalli May," Dolen said shortly, moving forward and adding to reassure the woman, "We shall free you, yet you must stay back that we may clear the way."

He didn't wait for her reply, applying his effort toward removing the obstacles via hand or powersword, whichever might serve better at the time. As he came close, however, he noticed something odd about the woman. She was not some random innocent that they captured. She was a follower of Slaanesh. Dolen came to a sudden halt upon recognizing the taint of the prisoner, tempted nearly beyond reason to finish the creature here and now. It would suffice, however, to leave it here and destroy what remained of the base from a safe distance.

"Quickly away, Kalli May," he said quietly, extending an arm to dissuade from his former call for aid, "None of that Foul One's children shall I aid!"

"Don't leave me here!" the woman cried desperately. "Please help me!" She continued to try to free herself from the rubble even as they moved away.

Knowing the possibility of removing taint in this universe, Dolen weighed the woman's words for an instant and looked at the bars which had bound her to this place. Silently cursing himself, he abandoned his retreat and returned to the task of removing debris with grim deliberation. He has no difficulty in clearing the debris away from the whimpering woman. She scrambled desperately out toward him, clearly scared to death.

"Follow us if you seek to escape the clutches of Chaos," Dolen said simply and turned to make his way back out of the base, preferably without encountering the remaining minions of the Blood God or being stabbed in the back by a follower of the Defiler.

The woman made no further sound as they reached the docking bay as that wing of the station got blown away, thankfully after it had been sealed off.

Dolen considered the options briefly, but was loath to let the follower of Slaanesh roam as freely as it might within the Darknova. His own craft, at least, had separate cockpits and she might be contained in the auxiliary one, thus he gestured the woman to continue following him as moved to the El'dari craft.

She went along with him quietly as Kalli went to get into her own ship and get away from this place. The woman was relegated to the rear cockpit, Dolen boarding and sealing them both in and then disabling the auxiliary controls before taking off with considerable haste. It would seem that the Blood God's followers were intent on destroying themselves and the installation, but he would remain near enough to make certain the task was completed.

She doesn't argue and sat there quietly watching the station go up in a fiery explosion after they cleared the area. The Dracula Cloud quickly reduced the former pirate base to a cloud of debris.

"Rath shall surely wish to know of this," Dolen commed as they swept away from the destruction of the station, then added with a chill, "And another matter will need be attended."

Kalli replied, "Indeed. At least we've taken care of their pirate problem..."

Dolen turned his ship for a reciprocal course to the Gate, remaining silent until they were contacted by the rebel's base and were identified. Clearance to land was requested, that a report may be relayed regarding recent pirate activity in the Transylvania system, and he headed for dock as itwas granted. Kalli came in behind him to dock as well. His passenger was silent for the trip.

"Kalli May," Dolen commed, "May I ask that you inform the appropriate personnel here of the passage of events?" he winced and then sighed lightly, "I need attend my wound, and I would speak with our 'guest'."

Kalli nodded to him and headed off to do that.

Taking an emergency kit from the cockpit, Dolen climbed out and moved to sit at the edge of the other, unsealing it only as he was settled. "Please make no sudden moves, else I shall assuredly shoot you," he addressed the woman quietly, indicating the pistol that he set down next to him.

She nodded quietly and murmured, "Thank you for saving my life..."

Dolen took a moment to loosen the armor at his shoulder, removing the plates at his upper arm to examine the wound critically. He opened the kit and took out some supplies, sucking in a sharp breath at the bite of a disinfectant.

"There are yet doubts in my mind," he replied quietly, "As I know to whom you have owed your soul and allegiance, but... that you were imprisoned allows that shadow of doubt."

She looked down. "No... I owe _you_ that."

"You owe me nothing," Dolen replied quietly, finishing the bandage and putting away the remains of the kit, "Save perhaps an answer in this, and which you must consider carefully: Do you still serve that One, or do you wish to be free of its foul taint?"

"I would if you wished that of me," she said quietly.

Dolen looked at the woman and returned with firmness, "That wish may come of nothing save your own heart and soul, for there is a way that a cleansing may be attained by greater powers but requires a willingness to turn from Chaos' damnation."

The woman murmured, "Then I will do so." Whether she really wanted to or not was fairly irrelevant in her mind at the moment, as the alternative was pretty clear and messy.

"Then I shall see you delivered to those who may aid you," Dolen replied evenly, not so trusting of Chaos and particularly _that_ one to believe fair words. "There may your resolve be tested, and the taint cleansed. For your sake, I would hope it be true as the Defiler is greatest among the horrors of Chaos and cares little for the wellbeing of any."

"I may not be a Death Dancer, but I'm not blind to the meaning of honor..." she murmured. "They would have killed me solely because I dared to speak out against what they were doing."

Dolen returned the plates of his armor to their secured state, careful of the bandage beneath, then looked at her as he holsters his pistol in a deliberate display. "Tell me then what brought you to those straits."

"I was at the base on planet Siberia several months ago when these strange ships came, and my sister, Emily, came to me and started telling me how wonderful..." She grunted for a moment. "Should never really have listened to Emily in the first place, she was always a little messed up, even more than me."

Dolen arched a brow at the memory but nodded faintly. "In truth I may have encountered your sister," he replied. "A fair example of the treacherous and seemingly sensible sophistry which Chaos practices gilded her tongue as though in silver. The encounter was... not one which I should seek to repeat, should the opportunity ever arise again."

"I'm Felicia Jordan," she said quietly. Oddly, she didn't really resemble her sisters all that much. Her hair was lighter brown rather than black, closer to Kalli's shade, and her facial features were softer, less severe.

"Then it was indeed the same," Dolen replied quietly, remembering the name all too well. "I am called Dolen, in this land and others," he offered politely in return, "And I shall reiterate the hope that your intent is pure, Felicia Jordan, that your end may be far removed from hers."

Felicia didn't look at him, continuing to stare forward, her cheek twitching slightly. "I will do what I must."

Dolen reached up to remove his helm, setting it beside him as he looked down at her with quiet solemnity. "Do not doubt that what I may wish is for the greater good of your very soul. On too many worlds have I seen what befalls those who follow the Foul Gods, and the Defiler is perhaps the worst of all in its destruction from within." He sighed quietly and looked away. "You need not fear me, as you stand beneath the hand of Khaine's protection with your search for freedom of that taint."

"What must I do?" she asked softly.

"There are ones who may aid you, if you desire it," Dolen replied quietly, looking back to her. "I have seen the taint cleansed in this manner, though the doing of it is not likely pleasant. Beings of good intent and great power may force the power of Chaos from you, but those Foul Gods do not relinquish their toys readily."

"I will do it," she said in a bit of a strained voice.

"Then so shall it be done," Dolen said quietly, rising with some measure of his normal grace as the varied healing aspects of the El'dari medkit eased the effects of his wound. "In truth may it be brought to a beginning in short order, as those capable of it were not so far away when last seen. Allow me to contact my partner and we may proceed."

Felicia gave a nod of acquiescence, and closes her eyes.

Dolen contacted Kalli via comm and informed her of his intent, leaving the option of accompanying or remaining here that they might regroup later to her discretion. "Do not be afraid, Felicia Jordan," he reassured her with surprising gentleness, then sealed the rear cockpit and climbed into the front to await Kalli's decision as he warmed the engines for departure.

Kalli preferred to go along with him, and headed back to do so.


	2. Gathering Forces

Dolen wasn't entirely certain why he'd paused even momentarily and allowed this turn of events to occur, and it was a puzzle which his mind tested in silence as the two craft left Rath station and worked their way through the intervening Gates to Epsilon. The recent brief return to Iyanden had certainly done much to batter at the walls of soul and honor, thousands of years service dismissed without reason or explanation.

That was perhaps the very reason he had undertaken the seemingly mad venture to aid one of Slaanesh's brood, he mused as they neared Epsilon, for what was a soldier without duty and honor? A rogue, a brigand, a pirate... none of which suited themselves to that which he held close in his soul. He recognized the blackness of fugue in his recent actions and accepted their futility, looking deeper still at his own reasoning.

Purpose, that was what he had always sought regardless of place or circumstance, and he realized as they were cleared for landing and settled into the bay that he had needed a reaffirmation of that purpose and his subconscious had provided a sharp prod in forcing the aid to Felicia. He chuckled lightly at the realization, emerging from the cockpit and turning to unseal hers with some measure of renewed vigor.

Felicia went to climb out, thanking him quietly again and rubbing her eyes. She was clearly restraining any number of impulses and emotions with tight mental control. "Epsilon Station? Are they here? The ones who could do this thing?"

"Their craft was one for which I scanned upon arrival, and it was still here," Dolen replied quietly, offering a hand to assist her in climbing out. "They will need be contacted and matters arranged, but your nightmare shall be done and over soon enough, nothing more than unpleasant ghosts of memory to haunt."

"I'm glad," she said quietly, seeming eager to be off and get this over with.

Kalli climbed out of her Darknova as well, glancing over toward them quietly and saying, "I'll be up in the mess hall."

Dolen chuckled lightly. "Then shall I contact them immediately and see what may be required. Please do not wander," he added with faint apology, "It may suit you to ease the recent events which have confined you to small spaces, yet must I feel obligated to watch you yet."

He did, however, turn away and leave her for the moment, returning to the cockpit to contact the Shadow of Doubt while keeping her within view. Felicia remained where she was obediently, twitching a little but otherwise standing there quietly and staring at the ground.

The angels aboard the Shadow of Doubt were, naturally, more than happy to provide their assistance. Their reply invited the tainted one to come and be cleansed at the soonest possible convenience.

Climbing back out, Dolen turned and gestured politely for her to follow him as he lightly descended to the deck. "They are already at dock with this station," he said. "The walk will likely appeal after your journey leading here."

"Alright..." she said, and followed after him quietly, still looking to the ground as she did so.

"Being native to these worlds," Dolen offered conversationally along the way, "You shall likely find the individuals in question to be far less unsettling than I. Angels and Elkandu..." he chuckled lightly, "Such beings are quite alien to all that I have known, yet their power and good intent in their endeavors to this purpose are to be greatly approved."

"Angels are only known to me as a myth. They really exist? And what's an Elkandu?" Felicia said.

Dolen looked over at her with a faint smile. "My apologies, Felicia Jordan, I had assumed that your familial affiliation would extend to knowledge of similar breadth. From what I have gathered in my own time here, Angels are beings of well intent with powers deriving from the light, while Elkandu..." he snorted lightly, "Beings of considerable power indeed, if overall lacking in discipline and purpose that I have seen."

"I've never heard of such beings, and I've been alive for over three hundred years..." Felicia commented. "They're psychics, then?"

Over three hundred years, Dolen chuckled inwardly at that, but allowed no hint of it to escape his quiet facade. "That would appear to be the truth of it," he replied. "Their powers, while seeming in some ways comparable to what I have seen branded 'magic', do not appear to have the same inherently corrupting effects which are associated with Chaos and their like."

"They're not like the Urians are they?" Felicia said uncertainly. "I suppose not."

"The Urians," Dolen replied with distaste, "from what I have heard regarding them from Kalli May, I would suspect they have far more to do with Chaos and its foul aspects than the workings of the Elkandu. No," he glanced aside at her, "You have nothing to fear from what may come, far less than could be said were you to have remained within the corruptive influence of the Defiler, from body to soul."

"The Urians are bad..." Felicia said. "They're creepy. Always trying to sacrifice something... or somebody. And they wear skulls and drink blood and I've seen some of them throw fire from their hands..."

"Tis not the fire which must be worried upon," Dolen answered dryly. "Always has it puzzled me why cultists seem determined to gather such blatant imagery around them to 'honor' the corrupt entities which they follow. Perhaps a subconscious desire to escape the small, dark rooms which are all that remain of their lives?" He chuckled quietly and motions her into a boarding passage. "Here we are. Be at ease, Felicia Jordan."

Felicia went quietly, raising her eyes to glance about at the area a bit as they headed into the Shadow of Doubt where the angels awaited them. Dolen inquired after the location he'd been directed to on contacting the ship, the terminal responding readily and providing specifics as to the route. He followed the path in thoughtful silence, prepared to release Felicia from his charge and within the care of those who might aid her.

The angels were found readily enough, and they welcomed her gently and took her off to the room in which they'd prepared for the ritual involved. "She'll be good as new in a few days," said one of the angels to Dolen. "Thank you for bringing her to us."

"Would that I could do more to serve in this purpose," Dolen replied with a formal bow. "I will continue to search for others along the path of my travels and return them as the opportunity arises." The work of Khaine was bloody by its nature, yet he felt no qualm in allowing some small part of that work to instead find its way to redemption beyond mere death.

The angels went off to do that and left him to his own devices. Despite his growing acclimation to the workings of the strange new lands in which he found himself, Dolen found himself departing the Shadow of Doubt in short order and returning to the, to him, more 'normal' environment of the station. He considered the state of the repairs he'd left to onboard systems and checked on before setting out for the Elkandu ship, then shrugged mentally and headed off to find Kalli.

Kalli was sitting near a window drinking a cup of espresso and looking out quietly at the view of space, occasionally poking over a data pad on the table absently, but not really paying much attention to it.

Dolen walked over and stopped nearby, inclining his head in polite inquiry. "Lost to thought, Kalli May, or would you welcome company for a time?"

Kalli glanced up at him and gestured to the chair across from her. "Oh, sure, be my guest. I was just looking over some recent reports and such."

Dolen settled easily at the edge of the indicated seat. "Has aught of interest arisen since last we traveled here?"

"Well, it looks like we've managed to get control over the gate network and seriously put a crimp in Chaos's style," Kalli said, pointing to the map showing on the datapad now. "The buoy network is up in full force again, so we've basically managed to box the Black Fleet into these three systems." She pointed to Primus, Toronto, and Terra. "There's still some wandering around elsewhere, but the bulk of the fleet isn't going anywhere soon."

"Are any estimates of the respective fleet strengths available for those three?" Dolen asked with restrained energy. "To not only contain but to split their forces is much more than I could possibly have wished for. The matters which do not remain within the domain of greater powers might well be within our grasp!"

"They're fairly evenly spread across the three systems, by these reports, with a marginally higher concentration in Primus," Kalli said. "They're split off from one another now and unable to give support, although they're still, according to current reports, attacking targets in those systems and otherwise wrecking havoc."

"Now would be the time to strike," Dolen mused thoughtfully, "One might wonder if the El'dari and the rebellion are aware and prepared to act upon this unexpected windfall. The combined fleet was tactical nightmare embodied, yet split three ways it becomes suddenly much more promising."

"I don't know about the El'dari... but the Death Dancers are prepared to strike," Kalli said.

"Then perhaps a return to seek further contact with them may be in order," Dolen replied. "I would not place it beyond the powers of a Farseer to have already deduced the nature of the opportunity, but I would be greatly remiss in not assuring that it was so."

Kalli poked at the data pad, switching the display a bit. "Station logs indicate a number of them have shown up on the station in recent days, too."

"What fortuitous timing," Dolen replied dryly, believing in fortune not at all where his kin were concerned. "I believe I shall go and seek one such out, merely to reminisce upon matters of old and perhaps exchange enigmatic and cryptic references as is befitting, of course." He rose and raised a brow, looking at her, "Shall I leave you to your musings, Kalli May, or shall you prefer to accompany?"

Kalli finished up her espresso and said, "Well, I've nothing better to do." She grinned faintly at him and tucked the datapad under her arm and stood up.

"As you wish," Dolen replied with a bow, bearing a flourish of arm across his chest with hand coming to rest above the now-empty niche where the soulstone once resided. "Let us away to find their casual trader or craftsman, then," he said, straightening, "Certainly a simple enough task with access to station systems which you possess."

Kalli headed off with him to locate someone or another. They didn't prove exceptionally hard to find, though. Dolen would have been surprised if the El'dari _had_ been seeking to maintain a profile sufficiently unremarkable or deceptive as to make them difficult to locate. There was much in them that he could identify with, and their 'covert' operations merely served to strengthen that.

"May we be allowed a moment of your time?" he asked formally in address to the one they tracked first. "Within more private domains, if you wish."

The El'dari looked over at him, carefully masking a faint hint of nervousness, and said, "Ah, yes, of course." He gestured off toward an office.

Entering the office, Dolen waited for the others to do so as well and sealed the door behind them. He offered a polite bow, precisely angled toward an equal. "Greetings, distant kin," he said, "We have news which may be of great interest to the Farseer if she is not already aware."

He nodded. "Yes, we have come to assist in any upcoming attacks on the tainted Imperial worlds. There will be further assistance provided as well."

"That is welcome news indeed!" Dolen replied with restrained enthusiasm. "Are you aware of the extent of the information available to our kin? It would benefit all sides should communication be opened throughout the operations to coordinate with rebellion forces. Not, perhaps, the manner which either might be accustomed, yet of great potential value..." he trailed off with a chuckle glancing at Kalli, "And Khaine..."

"We have been in contact with the rebels," the El'dari said. "However, aside from the Dancers on the Edge of Death, they seem little inclined to risk this venture, and even once the fleet is taken care of, it may yet take effort to root out the remaining strands of corruption deep within their ranks."

"It surprises me little that the Dancers have so readily answered the call," Dolen replied with a faint grin. "All that I have seen of them reminds me much of the spirit of our own warriors." He inclines his head, the grin shifting to wry self-amusement. "Then my concern was, as before, nothing more than illusion and I shall hold you no longer from your duties. I will serve as required, by the Mark which binds me."

"Very well. May the stars shine upon your journey." He gave a bow to Dolen and left.

"In this may I yet serve," Dolen muttered quietly and turned to Kalli with a quirked grin. "It would appear that our self-assigned inspection of the outlying settlements is no longer required. The end of the infestation of Chaos is close to hand."

Kalli grinned faintly. "And then we shall dance upon the edge of death, in hopes of finally bringing the end of this struggle closer to hand..."

"Indeed," Dolen replied with a quiet chuckle. "The time is indeed nearing to hand when all must stand against that foe or feel its withering lash. I find myself far more inclined toward the first, in truth, and believe that I shall set out to see to the readiness of my craft and whatever else may be needful in the days to come." He might not know what Khaine was doing just now, but he knew for certain where that God would want _him_ to be.

"I think Asura may have also concocted a few things that may assist in the coming battles..." Kalli commented.

"Then let us be about it," Dolen replied, the energy to _do_ rather than remain placidly waiting returning in full and he set off with quickened stride for the landing bay and the strange Asura's normal haunt aboard the Darknova.

So when they got back to the Darknova, the Asura clone there told them, "Oh, yes, you can find my latest project in the docking bays on levels 42 through 70. I believe you will be pleased."

Dolen was content to take a look at the indicated 'project' in person rather than question their creator and likely be lost in a wash of technobabble. That in mind, he headed for one of the indicated levels to see.

Kalli headed along as well. When they reach the place, they see a cavernous docking bay full of hundreds of small ships, a few figures could be seen working on them and making some last minute adjustments.

"What are these then?" Dolen idly wondered, looking down at the craft. He looked over at Kalli with a brow quirked in silent question, then chuckled. "I would surmise that they shall be quite welcome at the battle ahead, regardless. With fortune smiling, their pilots will be prepared for what awaits them though I would not cherish the prospect of entering battle within the shell of an experimental craft."

"And I'd guess that the other decks have more of them, too..." Kalli said, giving a low whistle. "He's certainly been busy, I'll give him that..."

"There is great truth in that," Dolen replied readily, suitably impressed by the scale of the operation if nothing else. "That will, if naught else, provide a great many more targets to attract the fire of Chaos from ourselves." He chuckled.

After taking a good look over one of the ships, Kalli headed back to the corridors again. "I'm finding myself feeling very optimistic about the current turns of events..."

"So am I," Dolen replied, following her out. "You might not imagine the depth of anticipation I feel in this, that the Eldar as a whole would agree upon were they to know full what is so near after countless millennia... to see a final fall to the foes which we unleashed will be a satisfaction beyond aught else which may pass. Ever."

"And with the Emperor's corruption gone from the Karzan Empire, this will also spell an end to our own age-long war..." Kalli commented.

"Bright days indeed," Dolen murmured, continuing quietly, "For nothing else save the day when this event comes to pass shall I be grateful of the turn of fate which brought me to this place. Many things have I seen, and yet this... this I would trade all the years of service to see." He shook his head, smiling with faint melancholic bent.

Kalli grinned softly. "We must therefore prepare for the upcoming battle. The end of Chaos looms close at hand." She went off to prepare.

Dolen returned to his ship to speed repairs where he might and make certain that all was in readiness. On a near whim, he contacted the Shadow of Doubt via comm and asked to be informed when his latest returnee from the clutches of Chaos was beyond the process, then settled into the quiet routine of preparatory and relaxing meditation.


	3. The Final Battle

Naturally, everyone looked at Kalli for brilliant strategy since she was supposed to be their leader. She was not really much of a general, but she had damned well played enough video games to have a basic idea on war strategy. So her brilliant strategy involved a multi-pronged attack on the Primus system first, then to Terra, and finally the epic showdown on Toronto. She trusted each of the fleets involved to know what they were doing at any rate.

She had Asura send his fleet up the gate network to attack from Secundus, and to meanwhile deal with any issues that might arise in Secundus as there might be a minor Chaos presence there. Admiral Asura was happy to comply. The Death Dancers she intended to lead through the jump holes and attack from the Lorres system. The El'dari fleets, approaching from the east and west, would converge on Primus from Kenya and Sydney.

So Kalli headed off to her Darknova once everything was in place to lead the amassed fleet of Death Dancers to the Lorres system.

Dolen remained largely silent throughout, following and observing the workings of those responsible for the forces of the Karzan rebellion and recognizing nothing inherently flawed to their approach which might cause him to question. His role would be simple, to follow and do what he must, the greater elements had already been attended in gathering the titanic forces for this day.

Death Dancers from all over the galaxy had come to answer the call to war, many of them meeting up in Epsilon, others intending to join the fleet along its path in Siberia, Coventry, and Lorres. Kalli headed out toward the Kyber jump hole in her Darknova.

Kyber to Siberia. Siberia was home to a large rebel base, and contributed its own Death Dancer fleet to the effort after a brief stop there, and from there it was straight on to Coventry, then Lorres.

The fleet arrayed in the Lorres system waiting for the signal to attack was an incredible sight. Darknovas and Ultranovas make up much of the fleet, each squadron painted with different colors and symbols, but most predominant are the traditional Death Dancer red and black. There were a variety of other types of ships present as well. Comets, Whistlers, even Starfire-class cruisers.

The El'dari, having remained aloof throughout and planned with the long-term goal in mind as was always the way of their blood, swept from their places of concealment with the grace of dragons unleashed from long slumber. Gone their days of seeming ignorance and loss within themselves, the full scope of what they had prepared in the interim being set loose at last with the command of the Farseer.

They were not so inclined to dismiss the potential of the humans which they had once ruled as those in other universes, and coordinated their powers with the refined reserve which was their trademark. Abiding by the suggestions of the human command, their fleet divided readily into halves and swept inward from the outer regions to close upon their prey at long last.

Primus and the foul forces there would fall, beneath the combined might of those which had gathered, and they would sweep the vermin before them as though chaff before the storm.

Asura's ships scanned Secondus carefully, making sure nothing that had the taint of Chaos still lived, and then waited at the gate for the command to take down Primus.

Kalli patiently awaited the signal for the other fleets having taken up their positions, and when she received it, she said over the comm, "We're dancing on the edge of death today."

She gave the signal to open the gates and sweep in to Primus and begin this battle. The massive battleships entered the gate, and the fighters prepared to disembark as soon as they enter real space one more.

Human or not, Elaran could not fault the sentiment and spirit of the command given and readily committed the El'dari forces to the attack. Their ways were perhaps different, but there would be blood this day in the name of all that had been lost and that was all that would matter.

The Death Dancers swept in, thousands of fighters spilling through the gate to Primus and moving swiftly to engage the Black Fleet. The Chaos forces were completely unprepared for the ferocity of the multi-pronged attack.

In the depths of the Ethereal, where titans walked and the damned railed endlessly in their torment, a calling of blood stirred and called to an equally bloodied hand. Kaela Mensha Khaine had waited long eons for this day, vengeance and blood for his slain kin, and he strode with the fury of the furnace to engage the first of his foes. Watching from afar, his works having done what they may, another God merely laughed.

The Chaos forces in the Primus system were overwhelmed and destroyed in due order. The majority of the "casualties" from the battle were actually from Asura's mechanical fleet, with a few reckless Death Dancers making up most of the living beings dying in the battle. The El'dari took almost no losses.

Elaran was pleased with the passing of events, her own powers adding an element of predictability that her forces took ready advantage of. Those which might be recovered were returned to the great ships at the heart of the fleet, and the elegant machine of war continued in its outward sweep.

Kalli directed the unified fleet toward Terra to fight the next battle, directing the gates to open and allow them to pass through. She fearlessly took the head of the fleet herself.

Asura was beside himself, looking forward to the next battle. Though, that was probably a literal statement in his case. What better test for his work could there possibly be?

The El'dari swept into the system and begin the assault in neatly precise waves of blazing destruction. Some few might wonder upon the seeming broad openings which Chaos presented to them in the passing, but none questioned their fortune too greatly. Khaine merely continued onward, the disorganization of the forces in the wake of their foul masters' destruction bringing only peripheral pleasure.

The forces of Chaos were shattered and broken under the horrific combined onslaught of men, elves, and machines. They hardly even had a chance to realize what was going on before being utterly crushed.

Again, not a lot of losses, primarily Death Dancers for the living losses, but not a lot of those regardless.

Dolen might caution Kalli against being too energetic in her approach, but remained silent and aware of the vital separation of ranks in mass engagements such as this. He did, however, shift to the status of shield once more to temper the potential threat, power diverting wholly to his ship's energy shields. His loss would be insignificant in the scheme of things, but hers would sow disorder far beyond another.

If asked to lead a fleet into battle, Kalli was one who would prefer to actually _lead_ it and not just stand behind somewhere safe and tell everyone what to do. Once the Chaos forces in Terra were cleaned up, she ordered the fleet to the gate to Toronto. "Alright, this is it!" she said over the comm. "Gate open!" she said, signalling the gate to open and coursing through.

Only the androgynous entity known to him of old yet remained, and that one lay at the heart of the Empire itself even now. Khaine, blood and fury personified, strode beyond the path of the fleets in another realm entire, suddenly intent on bringing the oldest score to a final settlement. Four orbs circled endlessly about him, all but one a dull and lifeless black... he would see the last join the others with great joy.

Bob tsked to himself, watching events from afar, and popped another handful of popcorn into his mouth. "Always so serious," he muttered, but not without a definite sense of brotherly pride and satisfaction.

The El'dari fleet, seeming to sense a final resolution to that which had brought so much loss and destruction to them, surged forward with the strength and speed of hunting hounds, hungry to leap at the throat of their final foes.

Kalli being Kalli, she proceeded to go in and attack the biggest ship there herself. With precise strikes, she crippled it quickly enough as the battle raged on around her, the confused and scattered Chaos forces hardly realizing what was going on until it was far too late to save themselves.

"Thought you'd seen the last of me?" Khaine could not help but taunt his final and most hated foe. "Where now your foul brothers? Destroyed, devoured as once you slew my own kin! Let it be ended at last, foul one."

Once, he had been scattered to the cosmic winds by this one, but that had been long ago and far away. Matters had changed greatly in his slumber, and so long as Slaanesh fell anything else was irrelevant.

"Hmm," Bob muttered to himself, watching the battle between leviathans as it began, thoughtful. "I could do something about that, I suppose, help brother dear out a bit..." He munched on a banana, pondering. "Nah, he'd never forgive me."

That didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun at Slaanesh's expense, though, and he tosses a cosmic banana peel over his shoulder to add a bit of amusement to their day. Slaanesh never even saw it coming as the brunt of the joke sent it off-balance at precisely the wrong moment, wailing as doom closed with unrelenting fury.

Fiery explosions wracked the skies above the Imperial capital as the flagships of the Black Fleet met their destruction at the brunt of the unified fleet. It was probably just as well that those on the ships wouldn't live to learn of the full extent of the fate of their dark gods.

El'dari craft of all sizes and classes aided in the destruction and cleanup of the Chaos forces. There would naturally be some number of their foes that would escape and cause some degree of annoyance later, yet the bulk of the danger had been obliterated in the greater part and was highly satisfying. The Farseer recalled them, each returning to their place in the living formation of the fleet at a remove from the planet itself.

Kalli sank back into her pilot's seat as she surveyed the destruction, staring on in rapt silence for a long moment as the smoke cleared and the last remnants of resistance were destroyed.

A signal was broadcast with the crystal clarity consistent with the technology in use by the El'dari, the familiar to Kalli figure of the Farseer appearing in the open broadcast.

"People of the Karzan Empire," she began serenely, "Long have we prepared for this day, and no less have those who act as your defenders done. This victory belongs to us all, and yet an even more bittersweet one lays within your hands. A fragile and precious gift we return to you this day, and leave it wholly to you with our blessing. This world and all its domain is yours alone once more, as we, the People of the Stars will return to that which calls most strongly to our hearts. Rule it well."

The signal ended abruptly, the El'dari fleet sweeping with slow majesty away from the planet itself and making for the warp gate. Their time here was done, at least in the role which they had held for so long, what they chose to follow from this time was as yet a mystery.

Kalli couldn't help but smile a bit and looked down at the planet below. She flicked open the comm and said, "The war is over. We now bring a new beginning of life and hope for us all. Come, Death Dancers. It's time to begin to pick up the pieces."

She turned the Darknova and headed down toward the planet to land.


	4. Aftermath

Several days of fighting dying down slowly and doing roll call to see who all was missing or killed. When Kalli realized that Talia was missing, most would have assumed that she had been aboard one of the Chaos vessels during the battle and had been destroyed. Kalli, however, had a hunch otherwise.

"We have to find Talia."

"Talia?" Dolen enquires blankly, the name meaning little or nothing to him.

"Talia Richards..." Kalli murmured. "She's probably the best of the human psychics alive now, and a good friend of mine. A much preferable candidate for rulership of this place than I..."

Dolen quirked a faint smile at that, but kept amusement largely to himself as he inquired further, "Where might a search begin for this most eligible of Imperial candidates? Surely some hints may be gained from group affiliation or, at the least, general tendencies of habit that are known to you."

"Last I saw her," Kalli said quietly, "she was with the Word Bearers." Kalli smirked a bit. "She was captured in the battle over Lezaria."

"That does not inspire great confidence, Kalli May," Dolen replied quietly, "Beyond what I shall not mention for obvious reasons, the likelihood of one surviving what befell Chaos in this system is quite low. Unless that vile band saw fit to secure her in other domains..."

"She's alive," Kalli said confidently. "And do not judge her too quickly for being snared into the designs of Chaos, much as I had also been, as I am most likely partly to blame for her situation..."

Dolen raised a hand in warding. "Do not leap so quickly to conclusion, I speak only as will some within this galaxy in the wake of what has passed here. I will aid you, have no doubt of it or suspicion of the trust which is born of that, yet would I be remiss were I to not urge caution." He shook his head, eyes narrowing in thought. "Regardless, were she within the mass of the fleet which fell there might be no hope. Is aught else known of locations they may have utilized in their reign that she might be found?"

Kalli frowned a bit, staring off for a moment. "She's on the planet Toronto somewhere," she said. "She must have hidden away somewhere and escaped the fighting..."

"That is a great deal of ground to canvass," Dolen replied. "Considering the power which you have mentioned her to possess, is there another within your ranks or else who might serve to draw attention through them? Far simpler to find that which already seeks you out."

"Possibly, maybe," Kalli said. "To narrow things down, I'll presume first that she must have been somewhere within a mile of the Imperial Palace... There would have been a good deal of fighting around here, but the city is dense and there would have been pockets of it untouched yet..."

"I would not be so certain of such a small area of operations, the foul ones of which you spoke were never known for anything save trickery within trickery," Dolen responded, then offered a single-handed shrug. "Yet well may it be a locus to begin the search. Should it prove unsuccessful then we will needs must pursue another avenue to continue the search."

"It's a place to start, if nothing else," Kalli said, heading out to the streets to start scanning for lifesigns in nearby buildings.

"Indeed," Dolen answered to thin air, holding his own reservations silently within as he set his helmet in place and strode out to do the same. The area in question would be quickly enough covered, at least.

Blood, death, destruction filled the streets outside of the Imperial Palace, not all of which had been completely cleared up yet. The only people they came across, aside from Death Dancers and the like trying to clean up the area, in that area were a pair of teenagers trying to loot goods from a demolished store, and a man with no legs. Most sane people who survived the attack had apparently fled the area by now.

"Building to building shall likely be required," Dolen commed simply, leaving the Dancers to their work and the troublemakers to the Dancers in favor of choosing a semi-intact one to begin the search. Any signs of life would be inspected, larger than domestic animals at any rate.

Kalli went with him, on the off-chance that some crazy cultists were skulking in the basement waiting to ambush them or something. This building was apparently a large apartment complex, and while there didn't seem to be anyone on the upper floors, a staircase led down into the darkened basement underground.

Dolen did not go unarmed, though perhaps somewhat more sedately than usual in keeping the powersword to hand, proceeding down the stairwell with quiet caution. More powerful sensors would be useful, he mused, ground clutter and similar interference proving no impediment to starcraft class arrays. After this he resolved to make use of that resource.

The stairs went down into a darkened series of chambers that had survived fairly intact despite the recent fighting. Storage, wine cellar, and such. Another series of stairs led down further into a sub-basement.

Memories of subterranean networks infested by Chaos or Tyranid inevitable are brought to mind as Dolen moved onward, the image sufficient to bring pistol from its holster as well. Such places were forever the domain of forces best left to their damnation, in his experience, and that was sufficient to keep him moving forward and down cautiously. It _was_ just the sort of place he'd expect them to use, after all.

Kalli peered about the vicinity, looking through the myriad corridors of the sub-basement and poking about the various rooms. Some of them looked innocent enough, storage rooms and the like for various items. But as they got further in they come across a couple rooms with nasty looking torture implements, crude and brutal, and judging by the relatively fresh blood it appeared that some of them had been used recently, probably a week or two ago.

"It would appear that we have found evidence to support this as one place of their choosing," Dolen remarked coolly over the comm. "Be on your guard." He continued through the collection of chambers with silent distaste, searching for any sign of life which might signify survivor or foe.

At the end of the corridor they came to another door, which they found locked. Kalli put in an override code and the door obediently unlocked itself and popped open. Inside, however, there was an almost blindingly brilliant light of white, gold, and fiery orange and red. Kalli blinked for a moment and stared into the room. Grateful for his helm's reactive visor, Dolen moved quickly to put his back to the wall and crouched with the pistol swinging immediately to bear.

"You will not need that," said a gentle voice coming from the light. It faded a bit and became more distinct, and appeared to be the form of a large bird with burning feathers for a moment, then an elf with fiery wings. He smiled at them softly.

Ever mindful of the varied ways and means of those who walked the paths of Chaos in times past, Dolen did not lower the pistol, though he did rise from the crouch. "You will need forgive me if I am not wholly inclined to trust that without reason," he replied dryly. "Not the first, nor surely the last, that forces foul might don the visage of light to suborn the cause of right."

The figure chuckled softly. "You speak truly, and I believe it has been quite some time since your own people beheld my counterpart, as well. Allow me, therefore, to introduce myself. I am the one known to the people of Lezaria by the name of Sarhabinse, the Phoenix God, the Songlord."

"The difficulty in claiming godhood," Dolen replied with a trace of wry amusement, "is proving such without resorting to tricks best left untried." He sighed lightly and sheathed his weapons. "Yet shall I set aside distrust and arrogance as another had not, until proven else. What then your purpose here in darkness, Songlord?"

"A true god does not require to prove themselves. Such is only done by those falsely claiming to be such. Or by certain pranksters who think it is funny to mentally scar unbelievers." He smirked for a moment. "You will find the one you seek within this chamber," he said, gesturing to a door.

"Any being who seeks trust or belief must needs pay acknowledgement to the principle of proving worthy of it, in time," Dolen said quietly, not _quite_ challenging and yet not wholly accepting either. "Regardless, tis your purpose in this, Kalli May," he added, gesturing within, "Seek your answer within."

Kalli went and opened the door and found Talia peacefully asleep within. And not dressed up like a Chaos Sorcerer, either.

Sarhabinse said, "This little one's purpose is not yet through in this life, but were it not for my intervention she would not have survived the battle, nor seen return from the darkness which had plagued her soul."

"So be it," Dolen said simply, remaining silent regarding his own doubts and reservations, knowing well that it was beyond his domain at this point and at any such in the past. The Karzan would see a return of Empire and hopefully be the better for it, only time would tell.

Sarhabinse said, "And now my purpose here is done for now, and I will take my leave of you." He glows and turns back into a glowing bird again for a moment, saying, "Remember, whatever happens, wherever you go, be true to yourself." The light flares again for a moment, and he's gone.

"Is all as ready as it may be to return to more secure domains, Kalli May?" Dolen inquired quietly, turning to the important matter of the moment. "It would serve well to return thus rather than remain subject to ill intended intrusion."

Kalli scooped up the still unconscious Talia in her arms and said, "Yeah... Let's go." She made no comment about all the attention they seemed to be getting from deities lately.

Dolen unslung his rifle without comment, waiting a moment more until Kalli seemed ready to go, then turned and walked lightly ahead to ensure nothing might befall them. Paranoid, particularly with the decimation of Chaos and the ready presence of Death Dancers and a God, yet it was simply the way of the soldier. Quiet and still was all that greets them back to the street, but he would remain vigilant till all were returned to safety entire.

When they returned to the Imperial Palace again, Talia began to wake, and Kalli set her down on a couch as Talia blinked her eyes open and looked around. "What... what happened? There was this light..."

Easing somewhat in the closer confines of the palace, Dolen answered the woman's question with quiet frankness, "It would appear that the Songlord had decided to take some interest, wresting you from an uncertain fate aboard the Black Fleet which now is nothing more than wreckage scattered through this system and others nearby. Kalli May," he nodded to her, "Sought you out to purpose of her own."

Talia blinked for a moment again. "The Black Fleet? Destroyed? What? I must have missed a lot, didn't I."

Kalli smirked, and said, "Yes, that you did. There's been clamoring to make me the new ruler of the Empire, however, there are those I know who would be better at it." Kalli grinned at her.

"There is indeed much you must be brought to knowledge of," Dolen said quietly and offers a polite semi-bow, "I believe that Kalli May shall doubtless be sufficient and more to the task, one of familiarity as well, and shall leave you to it." He turned to face Kalli as he added, "Call if there is aught for which I am required." He turned to leave, intending to check into the immediate security arrangements.

Talia protested, "But... What about the elves, the Eldar, whatever they are? I keep telling people they really rule the galaxy, but nobody listens to me!"

Kalli just chuckled softly.

"They have returned to the stars, our home," Dolen said quietly in passing. "Having learned the lesson of ages past that none may rule another without ties of the soul." He paused at the door and looked back. "Or so I suspect, with some degree of certainty." He chuckled faintly.

Talia stared over at him. "Where is Anderos?"

"Anderos Velarh?" Dolen asked with some puzzlement. "When last I spoke with him he was safely aboard one of the Elkandu vessels which have passed hither and yon throughout. It would surprise me little were he to have found himself a place amidst the fray to stand against the forces of Chaos."

"I hope he's alright," Talia said quietly, with just a touch more than casual affection.

"I will see what may be done to locate him, then," Dolen replied, then departed to see to the task. The records would be simple enough to locate and allowed time to arrange for contact while the woman was brought current on events.

Kalli proceeded to brief Talia on just what all she'd managed to miss out on the last few weeks.

Dolen found it not at all difficult to locate Anderos, as he had apparently remained on Epsilon Station during the battles, not being a warrior himself. Dolen was of two or three minds in the current situation, and he took advantage of the opportunity provided by locating Anderos to climb into his ship. There were definitive advantages to the technology which allowed for instantaneous transit from one system to another, the only real time spent proceeding from one Gate to the next. It also allowed for silent contemplation in the quiet depths of space.

Far too much still remained unresolved within as he neared Epsilon, and he set it aside as he gained clearance and settles into the docking bay. He climbed out and leapt to the deck, then strode out to find Anderos.

Anderos was alone in his quarters. From another, one might say that he was meditating, but he was really just sitting around brooding.

Not of particular inclination at the moment for long-winded explanation or tending to brooding melancholy, Dolen tapped for entry at Anderos' quarters and waited for an answer. As soon as one was received, he walked into the room and looked to the El'dari impassively.

"Gather what you would, Anderos Velarh. Your presence is required elsewhere and I shall escort you there."

"Very well," Anderos murmured, grabbing what few belongings he has with him here, and goes to the door. "Might I inquire as to the destination?"

"It shall be apparent soon enough," Dolen replied cryptically. "The journey is not arduously long, and the reason shall be clear upon arrival. Please, come with me."

Anderos gave a nod and went to follow him without further question. Dolen led the way back to the landing bay and saw Anderos settled into the rear cockpit of the craft, then departed without further explanation. Strangely beyond a logical approach to a simple query to someone's wellbeing, perhaps, but he didn't question the inclination to proceed as he did. Anderos wasn't fully comfortable with the arrangement, but went along passively enough. He remained quiet through much of the journey.

Remaining silent throughout, lost to his own train of thought and leaving Anderos to think what he would, Dolen navigated the return trip with as much speed as might be gleaned from the fleet ship. They arrive soon enough in orbit around the Imperial world, the small ship darting past the drifting hulk of a Black Fleet ship as it darted down toward the surface.

He identifies himself to assuage the security below and dropped in an arc to the coordinates directed, continuing else in silence until they've landed and he climbed out. "We are nearly there," he said simply, indicating Anderos should follow him as he popped the rear canopy.

Anderos climbed out of the ship, looking up toward the palace with barely concealed tension and wondering what would have called him here again.

Dolen was unhelpfully quiet as he led the way onward, speaking only as required for security checkpoints and identification. At the innermost he did expand to inquire into the whereabouts of Kalli May, quite certain she remained yet within, and proceeded to lead the likely bewildered El'dari in that direction.

Kalli and Talia had moved meanwhile to a better equipped briefing room, with a display screen and judging by the mostly eaten food arranged on the table, they'd just finished lunch.

Gesturing Anderos within, Dolen glanced toward Talia and inclined his helm fractionally to her. "An answer to your earlier inquiry has been brought to my attention," he said blandly and stepped aside to assume a quietly formal attentive stance.

Anderos's tension and nervousness melted away upon seeing Talia alive and well.

Talia said, "Anderos!" They proceeded to spontaneously embrace one another. They didn't even seem to care who might be staring at them.

Dolen had presumed as much from the intensity of her earlier inquiry, and made no sound or movement that might draw the least attention. Guardians learned the trick to the practical applications of invisibility early in their training, at least those with the wit to do so. Kalli just gave a faint grin and looked back to the starcharts.

Anderos and Talia pulled away after a few moments. Anderos said, "Talia, Talia.. When I heard about the battle, I'd feared you were dead..." After a brief sappy scene, they sat down and got on with business.

Listening with only part of his attention, Dolen remained still and descended into silent thought. The El'dari had left this domain to the care of just such ones and his was not the right nor reason to intrude further upon it. He... thoughts of cause, purpose, and reason swirl in delicate circles as the others attended to matters of Empire.

Kalli shortly headed for the door to leave others better capable of doing so to discuss the big issues, what would become of the Empire, whether it would even remain an Empire at all, and such. She headed out quietly into the corridor and sighed softly.

Dolen readily took advantage of the opportunity to depart the proceedings that Kalli provided, surprised not in the least as neither of those remaining seemed to take the least notice of it. He closed the door behind and stepped away, remarking reservedly, "All appears to be progressing as well as it might."

"My work here is done," she said quietly. "There's still formalities to attend to, decisions to be made... but I won't be a part of it. It is time, I think, to move on..."

"Indeed," Dolen replied, "Far beyond time for leave-taking, on my part. Seeing Chaos banished was sufficient to my purpose and reason here, beyond that nothing remained that required or demanded any role of me. At any rate, what duty seems to call to you next, Kalli May?"

Kalli didn't even hesitate for a moment to think before responding. "To explore the universe, to give aid to the weak and help the innocent, to right wrongs wherever they might be found."

"A most worthy pursuit," Dolen conceded, "One which likely calls to me as well with the weight of the Mark upon it. Anything else, more or less... I could not answer."

She turned and looked back for a moment toward the meeting room over her shoulder. "Others can take up the torch and lead in times of peace. But I am a warrior, and it isn't my place. The universe is a big place, and I think I have only begun to scratch the surface of what it may hold."

"I have no interest in the works of the mighty," Dolen replied with faint amusement. "So long as their works do not demand that which calls one such as I to act against it. May this land observe a time of relative peace, for there was much blood shed to pay that cost." He finished on a quietly melancholy note, "Time shall tell, and only may it be seen in the doing. Distant lands and injustice are yet placed before warriors, in days of calm. Be certain that I shall answer if I am called for, Kalli May."

She turned and looked over to him and said, "We've flown and fought together much these last few weeks. I would be quite happy to continue to do so, wherever that path may take us."

"I would be honored to do so, Kalli May," Dolen replied readily, then continued quietly, "And yet... I must needs find calm of heart and soul again, and I am uncertain where that may lie. It is not so much as loss of purpose or reason, for those I have found reminder enough in recent times, rather a disquiet that I cannot seem wholly to fathom or dismiss. Ill-serving would I be were I to continue thus at your side."

Kalli looked at him and gave a short nod. "Do as you think you must. I will remain here until you are prepared to leave for wherever it is we shall go."

"Go where your heart leads you, Kalli May," Dolen replied with a bow, "There is no doubt in that which binds us shall lead paths to converge once more...." he trailed off for a moment, as though about to say something, then said simply, "Be well," and turned away.

Kalli looked off for a moment as he turned to leave, and went to stand on a balcony overlooking the city, staring up at the stars shining above quietly.


End file.
